


Viva la Gloria

by Fleurily (somnifery)



Category: D. Gray-man
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 18:11:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/115402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somnifery/pseuds/Fleurily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Order has found a way to neutralize the powers of the Noah, and their first experiment is not the kind of monster they expected...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Half of her skull was lying on the table, inches away from her face.

They had their hands in her brain, their metal tools. She could feel everything -- _Nothing for pain, just make sure it can't move_ \-- they jabbed something behind her eyes, something sharp and twisting, and she could hear every wet noise inside of her head. 

 _What are you doing? I didn't authorize--_

The tall man, black hair; she could hear his name in his thoughts, see those flashes of what he loved. Lenalee's brother? Pretty Lenalee, with her hair in bows and her nervous system blown to bits.

 _We need more seals, it's trying to overpower--_

 _Severing the nerves, Inspector_.

It was an explosion of light, and pain, and then everything was numb, numb and dark again.

+ 

Komui kept his face neutral as he left the procedure room, strides purposeful and even as he tore the surgical mask and gloves off. The blood had sprayed onto the front of his jacket as they hacked into the brain cavity, butchering the tiny head on the table with surgical precision.

Neutralize. Those were the orders he had given. The Inspector, however, had arrived with far different ideas.

Nobody had anticipated such a capture, even with the Crows at hand in the heat of a battle. The Noah had been overconfident, they reported; upon seeing one of her companions fall, she had rushed to his aid, and they had taken the opportunity to ambush her. They had dragged her into the Order through their Ark passage, chained and covered in their seals. Dangerous, murderous, waiting for any opportunity to make her escape and call upon her demons, they warned.

Komui knew they were holding a monster. He had seen the results of this particular Noah's violence several times, and it was certainly something to fear-- But watching violent handling on a monster in the form of a child, so fragile, was distinctly unsettling.

Kill it. Quickly, mercifully, effectively. He didn't want to have that creature drawing akuma and other Noah to their location. Someone had reported the capture to the Vatican already, though, and before they could dispatch the order of execution, Rouvelier was storming through his office door. He was taking over this project.

Komui stood by and watched as they opened the Noah's head, and cut out the pieces of her brain that would allow her to control her abilities.

She had opened her eyes toward the end of the operation, and looked at him. The Noah had bright blue eyes, and despite the haze of pain in them, Komui could see another emotion that was nothing short of startling.

It was... _scared_. 

He was distracted by that gaze, if only for a moment. When he had looked back to the surgeons--

Komui threw the gloves and mask into a wastebin, pushing the door open and walking into the clean air of the ground level of Headquarters. It was business as usual, up here; Kanda was walking past, tying his hair back as he went. Allen was fresh from a mission, adjusting a few fresh bandages and listening to a Finder talk with a polite smile.

This was what he was protecting. No matter how defenseless or innocent she looked, the Noah was one of the monsters seeking to destroy everything here.

When they were finished studying her, they would kill her. One less Noah, and more information for them to use in the battle to defeat the Earl.

+

Blind.

Rhode could feel the metal slab beneath her. She could feel the heat of some kind of light, illuminating her bare skin. She could hear _breathing_ , slow and anticipatory, all around her. But when she opened her eyes...

She tried to move, only to find her wrists restrained by heavy, rough, metal chains. Something was strange, though. When she tried to jerk her arm back, only her fingers moved-- No, that had to be wrong.

"We have movement in the limbs," a voice said, far too loudly. Could she move her feet? What had they done to her?  _Why couldn't she use her powers_?

Something jabbed into her arm, and she gasped-- A soft, harsh noise, with just enough of her voice behind it to make it a painful sound.

"Speak." A new voice, even louder. Her head was roaring, it felt like the back of her eyes were on fire with each word. When he started shouting-- "Say something, Noah!" 

" _Stop_ ," she almost groaned through clenched teeth, waiting for the pressure in her skull to somehow lighten before her head simply exploded.

They all started talking, then. "Managed to maintain speech center--" "The implant?" "--until later, after it regains motor function." 

It felt like she was suffocating beneath all of the noise, pressing down on her head and her chest, until finally she couldn't _take_ anymore, and she screamed with all of the air in her body, until she could taste blood in her throat and her entire being ached with the effort.

She couldn't stop, even after they fell silent around her. Everything hurt, she was trapped, she couldn't feel her powers, she couldn't move, she couldn't _see_.

Someone backhanded her hard enough to loosen several teeth.

"When we have the information we need, you can take out the voicebox, too." 

They'd called him _Inspector_ , she remembered- that voice. She hated his voice, and she hated him.

"Put it in holding until it comes to its senses." 

Then they were moving her, walking, cold air biting at her bare skin and the chains they dragged her along by.

Air? Fresh air-- No, just a cold wind. They were opening a door, and the stale smell of wet years came out. They threw her down, attached the chains to the wall, and closed the door as she stumbled and fell to her knees.

Her body wouldn't move as she told it to. She couldn't even push herself up off the damp floor.

Rhode pulled her knees to her chest, holding her head in her arms as the horror and pain washed over her senses once more.

+

"How do you expect this kitchen to feed every person in this building while making _deliveries_ , Inspector? " Jerry snapped into the phone, shaking a frying pan with his free hand. "Someone can come upstairs and get a meal if they want it badly enough." 

Allen was leaning over the counter, waiting for his food while listening to the one-sided conversation with mild interest. The dining hall was still relatively empty, but Finders and staff were slowly filtering in for their midday meal. It was going to be ridiculously busy in a matter of minutes, and Jerry would need all the help he could get.

"Fine, I'll send one of the hands down. But don't start complaining when there's a backup on getting lunch out today--" He tossed the phone back in the general direction of the counter, grabbing a spatula and stirring the food rapidly.

Allen leaned forward, putting a hand under the grille that separated the serving line from the kitchen as if trying to catch Jerry's attention. "I'd be willing to take a tray down to the labs for you, if you can't spare anyone."

"Oh, Allen!" Jerry returned the boy's charming smile, hands still shifting between his tasks. "Would you be so kind? One of my boys is already sick, and it would be a _disaster_ if I lost anyone else for even a minute!" 

"It won't be much trouble at all. Just tell me where I need to go." The Exorcist waited patiently for Jerry to put a bowl of soup and some water onto a tray, taking it as the cook passed it across the counter.

"Down to the labs, six doors down, and then a left turn. It'll be the door at the end of the hallway. If you get lost, just ask one of the guards." 

"Guards?" Jerry was already moving back to the far end of the kitchen, however, and didn't hear Allen's question. The boy hummed thoughtfully, picking up a spoon and napkin before heading for the laboratory levels.

  
The cook's directions had been clear enough, and Allen had little trouble finding his destination. The seals on the door and the Crows standing on either side of the doorway were distinctively out of place, however, and the Exorcist found that he was almost nervous to find out what was inside. Even so, he held the tray of food steady as the guards opened the door for him, and walked in without hesitation.

It was pitch black inside, with the exception of a low-burning candle in one corner. It took Allen's eyes several minutes to adjust to the darkness, and even then he didn't immediately see anyone. It was a small room, and cold, and there was nothing but chains on the wall and-- Oh, _God_ , a body on the floor.

He almost dropped the tray when what he thought was a corpse moved. It looked like it had been in one spot for a while; a tray from the day before was still sitting a few inches away from her, untouched, and the chains had formed rust marks on the stone floor where they lay. He could see the ribs through the skin, all of their bones, because they weren't even clothed-- This was dangerously thin, and they hadn't even tried to fix it? 

Allen lowered himself to his knees, slowly, setting the tray to one side before pushing the old tray aside. If the Crows were outside, this was someone dangerous, but he couldn't leave them to starve.

"Hello," he spoke softly, easing his hands beneath their head and turning the thin form carefully onto its back. A girl-- A little girl, face and body bruised and emaciated. Who would give such an obviously brutal beating to a child? "Are you alright?" 

Not a child, Allen realized, as she opened her eyes. A Noah. He fell silent, waiting for her to say something, frozen in place. Her eyes were infected, her face was swollen, lip split and dried blood beneath her nose.

"Tyki?" She breathed the name, tone eerily innocent. Allen carefully removed one glove, laying a hand over her brow and grimacing at the heat of her fever. "They took my eyes. Father won't be happy."

He deliberately unbuttoned his waistcoat, removing his shirt and and wrapping it around her naked form with care. Even some small level of decency like _clothing_ couldn't be afforded.

She needed food-- No, he needed to break the fever--

He was so angry he couldn't speak, for a long stretch of minutes.

"I'll be back," Allen told her, slowly rising to his feet. "I'm going to get someone to help you." 

The sound of her rattling cough as he walked out sent a chill of rage down his spine.


	2. Chapter 2

"Starved to the bones and burning up? There's no human that should be treated like that, Komui, and you know--" 

The Supervisor slammed the ledger he was working on shut, the noise cracking through the tension in the air like lightning.

"It's not a human, Allen. You would do well to remember who our enemies are." Komui kept his voice even, controlled, despite the anger that simmered in his tone. "The Inspector is in charge of the interrogation and maintenance of the Noah. I am certain that they will not neglect the health of an important prisoner."

Allen sat in the chair opposite Komui, hands gripping the edge of the desk tightly. "You're right, she _is_ a Noah. _We_ are supposed to be the humans."

Komui didn't respond, simply returning Allen's pleading stare with a stern expression.

"Komui, have you seen her? She can't feed herself. They haven't even given her clothes. She's absolutely burning with fever, and she's having trouble _breathing_. Just come with me and look at her. She's going to die if she doesn't get treated, and then Rouvelier can't do anything with her." 

Allen waited for an answer, watching the Supervisor's face for any sign that he was being persuaded. There was something, the slight softening of the eyes, but--

"Komui. _Please._ " 

He inhaled, slowly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk and interlace his fingers. This was dangerous ground, if he did go to see what Allen so desperately wanted him to witness; if he tread onto the Inspector's territory, there was a possibility it wouldn't end well for anyone involved. But if Walker was correct, and the Noah was that ill...

Rising to his feet, Komui let out a long sigh.

"I can't guarantee I can do anything, Allen." He warned, even as he led the way out of his office. "I can't promise anything." 

+

Allen stood a short distance away, letting Komui examine the broken Noah with his expert hands. The Exorcist turned his back as Komui removed the shirt she had been covered in, affording her some small dignity.

"You didn't say the eyes were infected," the Supervisor remarked, fingers gingerly feeling the side of the girl's throat and rubbing at the swollen glands. "It could be something internal, spread into the nervous system." 

"I'm not a doctor," he replied, looking up at a particularly uninteresting spot on the ceiling. "I just know illness when I see it." 

"Yes, well." Komui felt for a pulse, silently counting before withdrawing his hands. "It's not exactly difficult to recognize death when it's at the door. Pneumonia, malnutrition, infection, dehydration, facial fractures--"

The Exorcist didn't say anything, glancing back to see Komui studying the prone form before him in silence. It was impossible to know what the man was thinking when he had that sort of expression; it would be a bad idea to interrupt him, whatever it was. Perhaps, if Allen knew the man as well as he hoped he did...

"Please go up to the clinic, Allen, and tell them we need a secure bed for a patient in critical condition." He stood up, straightening his jacket before moving past the boy to the door. "And a stretcher, for transport." 

Allen nodded, slipping out the door as Komui called the attention of one of the Crow standing outside the door. Walking quickly, he realized he had stopped breathing; he let himself inhale sharply, pushing his way into the main level of Headquarters before starting the jog up to the second story.

He didn't know how Komui was going to manage getting this past the Inspector, but winning over the Supervisor was at least one small victory. Even as a prisoner, even as an enemy, Allen couldn't stand to see another human abused in such a way.

He just hoped he hadn't been too late.

+

He left on a mission that evening, an emergency retrieval in France. Not surprisingly, it was a relatively hard assignment, and two weeks later he walked back into the Order with Link on his heels and Kanda storming off to mope, or whatever he did when he wasn't raging around the building. Allen was too tired to do more than clean up and collapse into bed, and Link was just as worn out.

In the morning, opening his eyes to the dim light of dawn, he remembered the bruised face and bright, blue eyes.

After breakfast, he made his way to the clinic, steps slow as Link followed along with some official business being scribbled into his notebook. He was almost expecting her to be gone; vanished into some furnace, destroyed and forgotten by everything but the pages they had recorded her interrogations on. The Crows were stationed at a door in the back of the clinic, however, and they didn't move to stop him as he entered. Oddly enough, neither did Link...

Allen felt strangely relieved to see the girl. The bruises on her face had started to fade, beneath an oxygen mask, and she had bandages wrapped around her wrists. It seemed she'd gained some of her weight back, but not enough to be healthy. She had been dressed in a simple, white gown, the top of which was barely visible above the blankets she had piled on top of her. Komui had obviously done what needed to be done, and she was looking much better for it.

"Is she...?" Allen looked to the surly nurse, who was preoccupied with changing out an IV beside the bed.

"Awake? On and off." She flicked a finger at the side of the bag of liquid she held, apparently pleased by the snapping noise it made in response. "Lucid? No." 

He nodded, looking back to Rhode curiously. Odd, how peaceful she looked, even with all those wires and tubes hooked up to her. _Sort of like a machine._

"Is she eating?" Venturing closer to the side of the bed, he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"Should be. Has trouble using her hands, and refuses to eat anyways. We've put her on a feeding tube." 

Allen glanced up to the nurse, surprise apparent. "Is there something wrong with her hands?"

The response the woman gave him was so indifferent it was almost chilling. "She's had over a third of her brain matter removed, talking and all. It's a miracle she can move at all."

He couldn't find any sort of response before she left the room, simply staring at Rhode's thin hand on top of the covers. Link stood a respectful distance away, back to the wall as he observed the scene in silence; easy to forget he was there, really. Allen was entirely aware of his presence, however, and found himself wondering if this was some sort of test.

"I heard you," Allen finally spoke, very quietly. "I heard you, down there." 

She didn't move, or react; just kept breathing. He knew, somehow, that she could hear his words.

"Where are you, Rhode?" Not here, he could feel that much. Somewhere far above their heads, in her dreams--

Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking. It was far more likely that she was trapped inside her own mind, a dismantled mass of rotting functionality within her skull.

He brushed his fingers over her hand, eyes narrowing ever so slightly before he turned on heel and walked out. Link followed, constant as always.

"I'm going back tomorrow," Allen announced, without warning. Link didn't say anything. 

If Rhode was going to be stubborn, he could match it; he wouldn't let her waste away, stagnant and deliberate, as everything with her was.

+

 _Can... anyone hear me?_

It's dark. I can't see where I'm going.  


Don't fight it, yet.

Sleep, and heal, and soon...

  
 

  


I want to die--

  
 

  


We have promises to keep.

  
﻿ 


End file.
